EXCLUSIVE: UMG Faces Ruin If Drake Gets Kendrick Lamar’s Contract, Lawyers Say
Drake’s requesting access to Kendrick Lamar’s confidential contract has Universal Music Group warning a federal judge that exposing the deal could destabilize its business model and give competitors a strategic edge.
UMG is urging Judge Jeannette A. Vargas to keep Kendrick Lamar’s contract under seal, arguing that even redacted sections reveal sensitive terms that could be weaponized by rival labels or artists during negotiations.
The document was submitted as part of Drake’s ongoing defamation lawsuit against UMG, which stems from Lamar’s 2024 diss track “Not Like Us.”
“If these terms were disclosed, then other artists could use them in their own negotiations with UMG and other record labels could use them when competing with UMG to sign or re-sign artists, including potentially Lamar himself,” UMG’s legal team wrote.
UMG maintained that the contract outlines current business dealings with Lamar and includes proprietary details about the company’s authority over his music and videos.
The label said releasing those terms would harm its ability to negotiate future deals and could damage its relationship with Lamar.
The court filing emphasized that UMG’s contract with Lamar remains active and that both parties expected confidentiality. The company cited legal precedent to support its request, pointing to prior rulings where judges protected business contracts from public disclosure to avoid competitive harm.
Drake’s lawsuit, filed in January 2025, accuses UMG of defamation and alleges the label promoted “Not Like Us” to damage his reputation and pressure him into a less favorable recording deal.
The suit claims the song falsely portrays him as a pedophile and that its release led to three attempted home invasions at his Toronto estate, one of which resulted in his security guard being shot.
Drake also accuses UMG of coordinating a pay-to-play scheme with Spotify, iHeartRadio and social media influencers to artificially boost the song’s exposure.
UMG CEO Lucian Grainge dismissed the lawsuit as “farcical” and said the label had no intention of sabotaging Drake’s career.
“Drake claims that I was behind a scheme to ‘devalue’ his brand through the release and promotion of the Kendrick Lamar recording ‘Not Like
Us’ —an allegation that makes no sense due to the fact that the company that I run, Universal Music Group N.V., has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Drake, including longstanding and critical financial support for his recording career, the purchase and ownership of the bulk of
his recording catalog, and the purchase of his music publishing rights,” Lucian Grainge said in reply to the lawsuit.
“My focus is on developing and implementing the global strategy that will shape UMG for generations to come. In light of this responsibility, the proposition that I am in the weeds as to the release and promotion of any particular sound recording, from the thousands of UMG releases throughout the world, is farcical,” Grainge added.
UMG has asked the court to dismiss the case, stating that the lyrics in question are artistic opinions, not factual claims.
The court has not yet ruled on whether Kendrick Lamar’s contract will remain sealed.
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